Prior to the 1980s, many of Tampa Bay’s habitats were damaged, reduced, or lost during development activities. Once the value of these habitats was recognized, protections were put in place and monitoring began on a regular basis to understand the effectiveness of different conservation and restoration activities.

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Seagrasses in Tampa Bay

Seagrasses are used by the Tampa Bay Estuary Program to assess progress in achieving water quality goals. Seagrasses need sunlight to grow. With improving water clarity, seagrasses can thrive in Tampa Bay.

Areal coverage of seagrasses are tracked semi-annually to determine if they are increasing or decreasing over time. From 1982 to 2020, seagrasses increased by 12,648 acres. For the most recent years of seagrass maps, seagrasses decreased by 6,354 acres from 2018 to 2020. Most significant seagrass losses were in Old Tampa Bay, a segment that has not been meeting water quality targets in recent years.

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